Courtesy of Bo Bartlett (click to view more)
Daddy, why did you leave the gate open? Why did you allow me to simply slide through and out?
Darling, I had to. There was no other way for you to test your weight, to find your way.
But daddy, I might have gotten lost.
Darling, I had no doubt that you would, and I wasn’t surprised when you eventually did.
Daddy, how then did I return? How did I find my way back?
You didn’t darling. You didn’t.
But I am here now.
You are.
How?
While I may have been lost to you, you were never lost to me. I watched you run, first with glee, then in confusion, and finally with pain. When your running ran out, and you collapsed at the curb of disillusionment, I brought you home darling. Just as I always promised I would, for I will not allow you to fade away.
Daddy…
Yes darling?
Will you leave the gate open again?
Yes. But next time, you will be stronger. You will find your own way. The confusion will dim, and next time, you will build your own home, instead of being returned to mine.
Just for now?
You first must build a home, before you can come home. So yes darling, just for now.
Good.
Yes darling. Good.
•••
Listen, I’ve no real idea where this came from, nor what it’s supposed to be leading up to. But I do know it’s what fell out onto my keyboard, when Fay Moore – the Writer who wants to be a writer – asked us to use the following as a song prompt.
I hope you enjoyed it.
as long as i'm singing 